Not So Happily Ever After
by Whispering Kage
Summary: Her journey was done, her destiny fulfilled; now she returns home after five years of hardship. Back to the boy she was forced to leave behind. What awaits her is not what she expected…where was her happily ever after?


**Not So Happily Ever After**

**Summary:Her journey was done, her destiny fulfilled; now she returns home after five years of hardship. Back to the boy she was forced to leave behind. What awaits her is not what she expected…where was her happily ever after?**

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Kagome gulped as she tried to gather her courage, well what was left of her courage. She had started the day off with enough courage to supply an army, more specifically Sesshoumaru's army and that was saying a lot, but during the three hour journey from Tokyo to Karakura, which was the city he lived in, it had dwindled down to nothing but a few wisps of what it was before.

Kagome shook her head she knew she was subconsciously trying to put off the impending reunion with him. The boy, no man, who she had left broken hearted five years ago when they were both thirteen years old, when they were madly in love, as much as preteens could be, without so much as a goodbye.

But she had her reasons, many of which were not her own but one's she had the responsibility to fulfill, not that she had much of a choice in the matter, in fact if it was up to her she would have ignored them and stayed by his side. She would have been there for him through all the hardships he had faced, holding his hand and supporting him. But no her fate had been decided before she was born and who was she to go against the powers that be? She, a mere puny mortal that was thrown into a tragic play that lasted more than five hundred years.

Kagome's eyes filled with guilt, she had heard about all the hardships he had faced over the years, the pain, turmoil, and mental anguish he had been through. He had to face them all alone, without her, all because she was who she was.

The Shikon no miko.

The legendary miko who guarded the legendary Shikon no Tama the one who had slain the evil vile hanyou Naraku thus saving the feudal era and in turn the present and future from his evil clutches.

Well, that was in the past, she was no longer the Shikon's guardian; the jewel had disappeared after she had returned it to its form glory. She neither knew nor cared where it was all she knew was that it was gone and no one would ever find it again.

She was now free, free to do as she wished not what others wished for her to do, much to their annoyance. She could choose her own path because as far as she was concerned her duty to Gods and powers that be was over and done with. She knew she sounded selfish but she had given five years of her life to them without so much as one complaint. She had taken everything they had thrown at her and taken it in stride. Never once did she run from her duties even though she had many a chance to take the easy way out. She had forged on in good faith that one day her duties would be over and she would be left alone to live her life the way she wanted to and with whom she wanted to.

So here she was at eighteen standing outside his door, the door to his new apartment, hoping to rekindle the feelings that she knew she still had for him or at the very least become friends once again.

She mentally looked over her appearance one last time. She was wearing a blood red shirt with a white hem, one of his favorite colors, that clung to her form like a second skin, dark blue jeans with a few chains hanging from the belt loopholes connecting to her pocket. Her long black waist length hair was lose and framed her lightly sun kissed face. She had on little make up, one she didn't like make up, it was over rated and over priced in her opinion, and two her never did like her wearing makeup he said it hid her true beauty. She had on some white eye shadow that brought out her sapphire blue eyes and some clear lip loss that brought out her small plump lips.

She gulped and decided to get it over and done with. He would one, be happy to see her and invite her in, two be so angry at her that he either yelled at her to get lost or shut the door in her face, which would break her heart and prove him, the one who warned her not to do this because it wasn't right for her to try and rekindle things with him after five years of absence, right.

Then again she knew he had her best interests in mind, even if he denied it with a passion. But she had to do this she had to, because if she didn't then she would always be stuck wondering what if?

She shook her head gathered her courage and knocked on the door.

She waited for what felt like an eternity for him to answer, which he did after shouting, that he had it. Her greeting caught in her throat as she took in his form. He was no longer the scrawny young boy that she remembered, then again the last time she had seen him was when he was thirteen going through the hell known as puberty.

His long thin arms and legs were now muscled and evenly proportioned to his tall well built form. His face had matured and lost all traces of baby fat revealing a devilishly handsome young man's face in it's wake. The only things that really stayed the same were his deep brown eyes, which were looking at her in confusion, his almost permanent scowl, and his bright orange hair.

He cleared his throat as he noticed her staring

"May I help you miss?" Kagome blushed and bowed in greeting.

"Ah, Kagome…Kagome Higurashi." She watched his face hoping for some sign of recantation her heart clenching when he continued to stare at her cluelessly.

"Well Ms. Kagome my name's Ichigo. How may I help you?" Kagome stared at him in disbelief; did he truly not remember her? Did their love mean so little to him that he had completely forgotten it, them, her?

Her eyes misted over with tears. Causing him to panic, he was never very good when it came to crying girls.

"Ahh. Miss please don't cry. What's wrong? Are you in trouble?" She shook her head as she tried to repress her tears, she would not let him see her cry, she was not dumb she knew he had been following her, the one who thought that she was making a big mistake by even being here, he had been following her since she had left the shrine.

As if sensing his turmoil a young woman appeared next to Ichigo in the door way, wrapping her slim pale arms around him and leaning into his side as he wrapped his arm around her waist.

She was about the same height as Kagome, but her figure was more buxom. She was wearing a blue t-shirt and a long deep purple skirt that accented her eyes perfectly. She lad long orange hair that was held back from her kind face by two hair pins, a frown marred her pretty pale face.

"What's wrong honey?" Kagome's heart broke as she saw the loving look that passed between them, the look that used to pass between them when they were younger. She shut her eyes to the touching scene.

"Miss are you alright?" She opened her eyes and stared at the couple her decision made.

"H-Hai. I'm sorry I must have the wrong apartment. Sorry for disturbing you." Ichigo smiled at her.

"Hey no problem. We all make mistakes. No need to cry over them." Kagome nodded stiffly at them before bidding them goodbye.

Kagome made it to a secluded bench in the park before she broke down and started sobbing. She was a fool to believe that he would still feel the same after so long. Especially after the way she had left him, no goodbye, no explanation, no nothing. She wrapped her arms around herself. Of course he moved on, it was stupid of her to think he wouldn't.

By the look the two had shared that woman was probably the one that was there for him when he needed her. When he need help, when he need comforting, when he need love. She cried harder, it seemed as if the Gods and the powers that be had pulled another harsh prank on her. He didn't even recognize her, even after she had told him her name he had looked at her like she was a stranger. Why couldn't she be happy? Why did the God's and powers that be love to play with her so?

She didn't even flinch as he sat down next to her, nor did she struggle when he pulled her into his arms. He held her as she let her grief go, he rubbed her back and whispered comforting words to her. She clung to him as if he was her lifeline.

He sighed sadly as he held her shaking form in his arms. He hated seeing her like this no matter how much he tried to pretend otherwise. That was why he told her she was foolish to try and rekindle her past romance with the shinigami boy.

He knew this would happen, he was the one who had told her of the boy's adventures as a shinigami, though he purposely left out the boys growing romance with the girl, Orihime he believed her name was, he didn't want to hurt her. Yet in the end it had done more damage then he thought it possible and he was kicking himself, so to speak, for his foolishness.

For some reason whenever he was around or even involved with this woman he found himself doing and saying foolish things. She made him feel things he didn't want to feel, made him do things he didn't want to do, and she made him say things he didn't want to say. Which was the main reason he had tried so many times to kill her in the past. But this was now, five hundred years in the future. He had five hundred years to mature and broaden his thinking. He had five hundred years to realize what he felt for the woman currently in his arms.

He crooned in to her ear as she clutched him tighter.

"Shh. Kagome. All will be fine. I am here." She cried harder and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"T-Thank you Ses-" He shook his head cutting her off.

"You do not have to thank me as if being here for you is a burden. I do it because I wish to. I will always be here if you need me." If only she would realize the extent to which he meant those words.

Ichigo glared at the wall form the chair he was sitting in. It had been ten minutes since she had left. The one who had crushed his fragile heart when he was but thirteen. Of course he remembered her, not a day went by that he didn't think about her, about what they had. He had loved her totally and without question, hell she was the girl he wanted to marry, the one he wanted to have a family with, the one he wanted to grow old with.

But she had left one day without so much as a goodbye, she was there one day and gone the next. He had shown up at her house wanting to take her to go see the new action film that had come out only to find not only her but her whole family gone. Everything was gone it looked as if she had never been there in the first place.

After that he had fallen into a depression and started getting into fights. He also stopped trusting people fearing that they would only betray him in the end. His grades had slipped because he just didn't care anymore. Which lead to more and more fights between his father and him which led to more and more stress building up in the house which made living there harder. It had taken him a year and a half to start trusting people again and another half a year for them to pull him out of his depression.

It was then that he was thrown into the life of a shinigami. It was also at that time that he thanked every Gods he knew that she had left because if she hadn't there was no doubt in his mind that she would have been dragged into it as well. As so many of his friends and his sisters had. He was glad that she was somewhere safe even if it meant that she wasn't there with him.

Sure, he would have loved to have her take care of him when he was wounded, be there to support him and comfort him. But above all he wanted her to be safe which meant that she was better off where ever she was which was away from him.

In fact he had almost come to terms with it. He had almost gotten over her and the love they had. After his days as a shinigami were over he had finally acknowledged Orihime's feelings, which he would have had to been blind, deaf, and dumb not to notice, which he was not, he just wasn't ready to move to open himself up like that again, and asked her out two and a half months ago, a month ago they had moved in together and he was finally starting to return her feelings. But she had to show up and reopen old wounds and rekindle old feelings.

Oh, how he wanted to take her in his arms when her eyes misted over with tears. He wanted to hold her and tell her that he still loved her that he wanted to be with her, that they could start all over. But he couldn't. He couldn't undo years worth of friendship and a few months worth a relationship with Orihime.

No matter how badly he wanted to.

He couldn't it would crush her and he owed her that much. She had been there when he needed someone, she had supported him when he needed it, she had fought and killed for him, she had almost died for him, and she had crossed over to the other side for him. He owed her more then he could ever repay her, and if his love was all she asked in return then he would give it to her.

Even if that love belonged to someone else.

Orihime watched with sad eyes as Ichigo glared at the wall. She knew who that woman was and what she meant and still meant to him. She was not as dumb as every thought she was. She knew why Ichigo had acted the way he had before they had all become friends with him. They did after all live a small town where everyone knew everyone's business. That and the fact that her brother had overheard an argument between Ichigo and his father one day when he went in for a checkup and had shared the info with her because he knew she had a crush on him.

She was appalled at the actions of the girl, Kagome, in fact she had even hated her for a time. To think that she could do something so horrible to the boy that she supposedly loved. But after the death of her older brother she came to realize that maybe Kagome didn't want to go, maybe she had no choice in the matter, because what thirteen year old could make decisions on her own?

But it made no difference, she was determined to help Ichigo get over her or at the very least become his friend. Which she did, after a year of trying she had become his friend. It was the following year that Ichigo had become a soul reaper and that she had discovered her own powers. At first she had been frightened of them but after time she had embraced them and decided to use them to help Ichigo.

She also devoted herself to helping him in any way she could. She had been there when he needed someone, she had supported him when he needed it, she had fought and killed for him, she had almost died for him, and she had crossed over to the other side for him. It was through all those self less acts that she had gained his complete and total trust.

Once their adventures were over she tried to even harder to gain his love. She even went as far as to proclaim it in front of their friends at a Christmas party, which lead to an awkward two weeks before he decided to test the waters and ask her out. Things had been going well they had even moved in with each other.

Though she was not foolish enough to think he loved her completely he had at least some feelings for her. She knew that much at least. But then she had to show up at their door. Why did she have to show up at their door?

To be honest she had expected Ichigo to toss her to the side for Kagome and rekindle the feelings that they all knew he still had for her. Yet he hadn't, in fact he had dashed any hope that Kagome may have had. Which was cruel, but she couldn't help the satisfaction it gave her to know that he chose her over Kagome.

Yet here he was sulking and glaring at the wall because her had hurt her, his precious Kagome. And it hurt her to know that even though it had been five years since she had left he stilled loved her the same as he did back then.

That he turned Kagome away and chose her out of obligation, not love. It hurt a lot but she had waited for years to get them to the point that they were at now, so she could and would wait for the day when he loved her and only her and even if that day never came she would never stop loving him.


End file.
